Saturday, July 24, 2010

Have You Ever Tripped Over Nothing?

Today, we're going to look at a Pokemon based off of a Japanese youkai that's less well-known than most. The Tsuchinoko (Earth Child) is a short, fat, land snake whose body is thicker than its head. It's said to be venomous but other than that, it's not really dangerous at all. The Tsuchinoko is less like the legendary Pegasus or Tengu and more like the controversial Bigfoot or Nessie. That is to say, it's like one of those mythical creatures that people think they see and then report to cryptozoologists. It's not very spectacular and similarly, the Pokemon it inspired isn't very spectacular either, but I still like it:
Pokemon: Dunsparce
Ability: Hole
Hole is an ability that allows the user to generate invisible pits. These pits can come in any shape or size but their depth cannot exceed 1m. On the surface, the pits are completely unnoticeable because they are covered by an illusion of land (Which typically adjusts itself to whatever terrain is surrounding it). It's very useful for incapacitating opponents or performing sneak attacks. A person trapped beneath a pit can still climb out if he/she can find the edge, which should be clearly visible under the surface. While under the surface, the surface itself also becomes see-through, so in a sense, it's like a one-way window. Dunsparce is really quite harmless and won't actively seek to hurt anyone. However, he will prepare invisible pits when he feels the need to sit down and there are no chairs nearby. Any unlucky passer-by who falls into his pit is subjected to stories of his legendary past...

No comments:

Post a Comment